Culture.Mil - Famous Soldiers

Written by Jenifer Chrisman on June 27, 2016.

From actors to presidents, scientists to athletes, politicians to authors, they all had one thing in common…at one point or another in their lives they were United States Soldiers. Some were famous before they joined. Some began to distinguish themselves during their service. And others became notable after.

The Army’s list of notables is…extensive, taking their old recruiting slogan, “Be All You Can Be” (1980-2001), to heart.

While much is lost over time, and some names have become nearly obscure, each in their own way made a contribution to the rank and file. They deserve to be recognized, not just for their fame, but for their service to this country. And while there are far too many to name* them all, below is a list of one hundred names, along with three short standout bios, of famous Soldiers.

Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson (1919-1972) was the first black player to break the color barrier and play for the Major Leagues. After moving from Georgia to California, he attended Pasadena Junior College where he played football, basketball, baseball and ran track and later continued his education at UCLA and earned varsity letters for four sports in one year. Due to financial hardship he left college just shy of graduation and moved to Hawaii where he played semi-professional football. His season cut short, Robinson served in the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant. He was arrested and court-martialed in 1944 for refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus, but later acquitted and honorably discharged. He began playing for the Negro Leagues. He was quickly recruited by Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, joining the all-white Montreal Royals farm team in 1946. Robinson played his first game for the Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Knowing Robinson would face opposition and racism, Rickey made him promise not to fight back. Despite slurs, threats and insults, his outstanding start and successful year with the Royals lead to his promotion to the Dodgers. Harassment continued with some team members and players on opposing teams refusing to play, fans shouting insults and, most notably, manager Ben Chapman and the Philadelphia Phillies shouting derogatory remarks at Robinson during a game. Others stood up for him, including Dodgers team captain Pee Wee Reese. Reese’s gesture of camaraderie, walking up and placing his arm around Robinson’s shoulder during the Phillies match, has entered into baseball legend. Jackie Robinson died on October 24, 1972. According to his biography (jackierobinson.org), “He overcame unimaginable bigotry and, during his ten-year career, was named Rookie of the Year (1947), Most Valuable Player (1949) and won a World Series title (1955). His .311 batting average, 197 stolen bases and six All-Star game appearances ensured his enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.”

Charles M. Schultz (1922-2000), nicknamed “Sparky” after the Barney Google comic strip horse Spark Plug, always knew he wanted to be a cartoonist. With his mother’s encouragement he completed the Federal School of Applied Cartooning (now Art Instruction Schools) correspondence course in high school. In 1943, within days of each other, Shultz’s mother passed away and he left to begin a tour in the U.S. Army. He served until the end of the war, having attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. After returning home he and his father shared an apartment and he dug in to attain his passion of becoming a professional cartoonist. With some local success, as well as intermittent one-panel cartoons in The Saturday Evening Post, he hit the national market on October 2, 1950, when the first Peanuts strip appeared in seven newspapers nationwide. Those quirky kids with overlarge heads and intellects beyond their years made a global impact, especially that most loveable of losers…Charlie Brown. Throughout his career, until he retired in December of 1999, the characters remained fresh, yet comfortable. With just the right amount of reality and flights of fancy, they became part of American culture. At the time of Schultz’s retirement the Peanuts characters had book collections translated into over twenty-five languages and were syndicated in over 2,600 newspapers worldwide. Charles Schultz died on February 12, 2000. According to his biography (schulzmuseum.org), “He has been awarded with the highest honors from his fellow cartoonists, received Emmy Awards for his animated specials, been recognized and lauded by the U.S. and foreign governments, had NASA spacecraft named after his characters, and inspired a concert performance at Carnegie Hall.”

Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891), born Thocmetony (“shell flower”), of the Northern Paiute, was a lecturer, activist, school organizer, author, scout, messenger and interpreter. She lived with one foot in the white man’s world and one in the Indian Nation. While Sarah’s grandfather, Chief Truckee, welcomed the white men to their lands (what is now western Nevada), her father, Chief Winnemucca, did not trust them. These opposing viewpoints were, in all likelihood, the catalyst that inspired her to attempt to create understanding between her people and the white men, as well as defend Paiute rights. Sarah first met white people at the age of six when she accompanied her grandfather to California. At thirteen, he arranged for her and her sister, Elma, to become members of Major Ormsby’s household. By fourteen, Sarah spoke three Indian dialects, as well as English and Spanish. By the time she turned twenty-seven, all Indian tribes, including her own, were moved onto reservations. She began working as an interpreter for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and, after the agent in charge of her people’s reservation was replaced with someone who treated them unfairly, she prepared to travel to Washington, D.C., to defend them. The trip was interrupted in 1878 when she offered the Army her services as a scout and interpreter during the Bannock war. She arrived in Washington in 1880 and pled her people’s case before President Rutherford B. Hayes and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz. Promises were made and broken, causing her own people to distrust her. Despite this, Sarah continued to give speeches (more than 400) in an attempt to gain support for them. She also opened the “Peabody’s Institute,” a school for Indian children where she taught. The school was closed after her husband’s death. Sarah’s book, “Life Among the Paiutes,” was published in 1883, the first book ever published by a Native American woman during a time when women didn’t yet have the right to vote. It was a personal appeal from the Native American viewpoint in a language not her own. Sarah Winnemucca died on October 17, 1891, believing herself a failure in the plight to help her people. Posthumously, she was awarded the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Award and Sarah Winnemucca Elementary was named in her honor in 1994.

100 FAMOUS SOLDIERS

Sources:

• http://www.biography.com/people/groups/air-force
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:United_States_Army_soldiers (*for a more complete list)
• http://blog.customink.com/2012/11/army-slogans-sayings/
• http://www.unr.edu/nwhp/bios/women/winnemucca.htm
• http://schulzmuseum.org/about-the-man/schulz-biography/
• http://www.jackierobinson.org/wp-content/themes/jrfwebtwo/pdf/Jackie%20Robinson%20bio.pdf
• http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813#synopsis

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